Welcome to the Dorman High School Media Center Blog. The information provided on this blog is intended for Dorman High School students. We hope the information is helpful and relevant. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions.

Monday, December 5, 2011

We started allowing students to checkout iPads from the library today. Sigh--still having a hard time wrapping my mind around how they can work like this, especially considering students cannot personalize or download apps. But the excitement is palpable. Today's task as our students explored--leave a "note" using the note app on the ipad listing apps we as library staff need to download. LOL App store is available but the install is blocked at school, so I have to bring them home to review student requests and download. Remember I'm on a vision casting mission here. I want them to work so I have to figure out how to keep our kids interested. I want students to use them for research, productivity, leisure, and most importantly, learning! Experience and fun are byproducts!! Oh yeah, have to share that teacher reaction has been incredible too.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

The library is sponsoring a book browse from Thursday, Dec 1 through Wed., Dec. 8. Each new book is spread out for face time, as books shelved just do not seem to generate as much interest. Classes are invited to drop in at anytime to browse through. Students are reminded that they may have up to five books at any given time. Books checked out between now and Christmas break will have a due date of January 3, our first day back after the holidays!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Another award winner book has been released as a movie this holiday season, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, written and illustrated by Brian Selznick. The book, which is a cross between a picture book and novel, includes in its title the description "a novel in words and pictures," was the 2008 Caldecott Award winner, the highest literary award for illustrations.

So it is with interest that I share the trailer, and hope to see this film during the holiday season. Directed by esteemed and award winning Martin Scorsese, the film is 3-d, and sure to please!!

Have you seen the movie trailer?? More importantly have you read it? Hunger Games and its sequels, Catching Fire and Mockingjay have stayed in the DHS Library's top ten for practically two straight years. Defintiely a good read!!!

The movie release date is March 23, 2012.

Director:Gary Ross
Cast:Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Wes Bentley, Toby Jones, Amandla Stenberg, Alexander Ludwig, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jacqueline Emerson, Paula Malcomson, Dayo Okeniyi, Jack Quaid, Leven Rambin, Willow Shields, Lenny Kravitz
Summary and other facts: Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which "Tributes" must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. THE HUNGER GAMES is directed by Gary Ross, and produced by Nina Jacobson's Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Suzanne Collins' best-selling novel, the first in a trilogy published by Scholastic that has over 16 million copies in print in the United States alone, has developed a massive global following.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

The library has invested in some Digital Reference books available online 24-7 that students and teachers may access to expand authoritative digital resources for curriculum and research needs. These are online, and password protected as a Dorman High purchase from Gale.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Dorman's Library is set to celebrate Teen Read Week!! Here is an outline of the activities planned to highlight Young Adult Literature!

Everyday the week of October 17-21 we will have a "Picture It" contest. "Picture It is the theme this year, so this contest capitalizes on it. We will feature a popular DHS YA book in pictures only, and it will be displayed in the cafeteria where students can fill out entry forms to guess the title. All correct responses will be displayed in the library and entered into a drawing. There will be ten students who win a free book, ten students who win a Cavalatte (school Coffee and Dessert shop) Coupon, and three students who win a $10 Gift Card from Barnes and Noble.

Tuesday the library will be hosting a BYOB Book Club! We will be serving lunch to those who signed up, and anyone can come, but the ticket in the door is to "Bring Your Own Book!" We do this in conjunction with our Spartanburg County Public Library teen librarian friends (Thanks Tara and more!!) to cultivate strong YA reading relationships. Symbiotic one for sure!

Wednesday we are planning a "Bookmark Yourself" Day, where students can have their photo taken and made into a customized bookmark.

Thursday, we are letting students take a Hunger Games Quote Quiz! All students who accurately match the quote with a book character from the book is entered into a drawing. One lucky winner will be receiving a movie pass gift pack!!

Friday sorry to report is a student holiday, but we hope our students will join in the activities planned at the public library too.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Students, faculty, and staff!! We just received a shipment of new books, and there are many--too many to just roll a cart out for browsing like we typically do. We want to lay them out for browsing purposes for a few days on the lower tables (nearest the cafeteria) starting Tuesday. They will remain laid out like this through Thursday.

This is something we have not done before. Usually we just roll book carts out with a sign telling visitors there are new books. We want to display them on the tables to give them “face time” as we realize many people pick up a book just because the cover grabbed their attention.

Teachers, feel free to bring a class for a stroll through or send small groups (a phone call would be appreciated if it will be larger than four students.) As always, students coming unescorted by a teacher should have a pass. Students are reminded they need a valid school ID to check out books. Come be the first the check out a new book.

What does it mean for a book to be banned or challenged? First of all, books are banned or challenged because one person or a group of people feel that they need to protect others. What these people or groups do not realize is that they are restricting access to everyone which is a violation of our First Amendment rights. A challenge is an attempt to remove the book(s) in question. A ban is the actual removal of the book(s).

NOTE: The books available in our collection here at DHS are selected based on recommended reading lists and positive reviews from professional journals.

Here is a quiz for you to try: See what you know, or what you don't know. You may learn a thing or two.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The password to use DISCUS is hidden in the slide deck posted above. If you need it, feel free to email me at nelsoncj "at" spart6.org. I will email back (or text provided a number that accepts text messages is given) as soon as I can.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

I am creating this post because you probably can't see the list of books (to the right) that Mrs. Nelson and I are currently reading (if you are using the library computers). For some reason it is blocked for students. At any rate, Mrs. Nelson is reading Into The Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern and The Ghosts of War: The True Story of a 19-year Old GI by Ryan Smithson. Both of these books are SC Young Adult Book Award Nominees and can be found in our library on the table across from the circulation desk.

I, Mrs. Dillard, am reading Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (also a SC YABA Nominee). Girls, you will love this book! I am also reading (actually listening) Going Bovine by Libba Gray.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

We here in the DHS Media Center would like to give a shout out to The Cavalier staff for their new online coverage. Great job everyone!! Looking forward to reading your news online, anywhere! You can read it too at www.thecavaliernews.com .

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Welcome back to a new school year full of possibilities: new activities, new teachers (and a new principal to some of you) to meet, new friends to make, new books to read! In our annual district-wide meeting on Monday, our 2010 District Teacher of the Year, Kelly Schachner, used the phrase, "No Matter What..." to speak to teachers about how important our roles as teachers, principals, guidance counselors, librarians, assistants, and custodians are to children. So, I thought I would use her phrase to let all of our students here at Dorman know that NO MATTER WHAT, we are committed to providing you with the best library media center we can. Mrs. Nelson and I (Mrs. Dillard) and our assistant, Mrs. Barron, are here to help you find a book, recommend a book, troubleshoot technology issues with you, give you some fresh ideas for new technology (yes, there is stuff out there beyond Google, Facbook, and Twitter!!), give you ideas for research, help you find the answers to your questions, and the list goes on and on. We are not just the keepers of the books. We want all the students here at Dorman to feel like the library media center is a place where they can come relax, read, study, compute, or talk with friends. We are multi-purpose! This year (as always) there will be activities that the library will sponsor that you can be involved with. We will celebrate Banned (Challenged) Book Week, Teen Read Week, National Library Week, and (as of right now) we will have our BYOB (Bring Your Own Book) Club meetings again in conjunction with the Spartanburg County Public Library (SCPL). We will also have activities for students who participated in summer reading, and later in the year, we will showcase some poets during National Poetry Month. There is something for everyone here in the library at DHS, and, "No Matter What," you're always welcome!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Dorman High School has announced their summer reading requirements for 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students.

English 10 and 11

(Optional Extra Credit)

Read one of the following suggested texts:

Breathing Underwater, Alex Flinn

Witness, Karen Hesse

Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins

Extraordinary, Ordinary People, Condoleezza Rice

Alabama Moon, Watt Key

One Second After, William Forstchen

English 12 and English 12 CP

(Optional Extra Credit)

Read one of the following suggested texts:

Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

1984, George Orwell

V for Vendetta (graphic novel), Alan Moore and David Lloyd

Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

The Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (collected stories), Alan Sillitoe

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde

The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde

P.S. I Love You, Cecilia Ahern

Where Rainbows End, Cecilia Ahern

The Crossing Places, Elly Griffiths

The Janus Stone, Elly Griffiths

Senior World Literature

(Optional Extra Credit)

Read one of the following suggested texts:

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain

The Prince and the Pauper, Mark Twain

The End of the Affair, Graham Greene

Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom

The Awakening, Kate Chopin

Kaffir Boy, Mark Mathabane

Cold Sassy Tree, Olive Ann Burns

Assignment for the above classes

The Summer Reading assignment of your choice should be turned in the first day of class.

Write an essay in which you critically analyze literary elements in the text, or design a poster-size collage with graphics, words, phrases and important quotations present in the book. Be prepared to explain the significance of your choices.

English 10 College Prep

Summer Reading is required. Students are to read Life As We Knew Itby Susan Beth Pfeffer. Be prepared on the first day of class (whether first or second semester) to discuss the text and to write critically about it.

English 11 College Prep

Summer Reading is required. Students should choose one of the texts listed below. The assignment will be given on the first day of class.

Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury

The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver

Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer

Saints at the River, Ron Rash

The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan

English 10 Honors/Pre-AP

The required works for English 10 Honors are listed below. The texts should be purchased so that you may annotate them. Students in English 10 Honors must be prepared on the first day of class (whether first or second semester) to:

- Write critically about the works during class.

- Discuss the works analytically.

The required works are:

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

Great Short Stories from Hawthorne to Hemingway, edited with an Introduction by Corinne Demas (Barnes and Noble Classics)

Read the following short stories from the above anthology:

“Rappaccini’s Daughter,” Nathaniel Hawthorne

“Bartleby the Scrivener,” Herman Melville

“A White Heron,” Sarah Orne Jewett

English 11 Honors

Students in English 11 Honors are required to read the texts listed below. Be prepared on the first day of class (whether first or second semester) to:

-Write critically about the works in class.

-Discuss the works analytically in class.

The required works are:

Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

V for Vendetta (graphic novel version), Alan Moore and David Lloyd

AP Language and Composition

The following assignments are required for AP Language and Composition. The texts should be purchased so that you may annotate them.

Be prepared on the first day of class (whether first or second semester) for major assignments on all readings.

Read:

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Mark what you find most significant or provocative in the book.

Read the following essays in 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology, 2nd Edition, edited by Samuel Cohen. Annotate the texts for meaning, especially for what each emphasizes about language and its uses.

“Learning to Read,” Malcolm X

“On Keeping a Notebook,” Joan Didion

“Aria: Memoir of A Bilingual Childhood,” Richard Rodriguez

“Me Talk Pretty One Day,” David Sedaris

“Mother Tongue,” Amy Tan

“Learning to Write,” Frederick Douglas

AP Literature and Composition

Students in Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition must complete all three reading requirements below. The texts should be purchased so that you may annotate them.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Many of our student users are on Facebook. So more than likely as I write this tonight, you've seen the same post amongst your friends claiming they are tagged in so-and-so's photo album, and you oh so WANT to see your friend in this obscure unknown person's album. Or it is YOU who is "tagged." Our vanity causes us to need to see it, and once you click, your Facebook account is infected.

Along the same lines as the photo-album post (from you "infected" friends) is promise of a link that will show you a horrifying online web suicide. It is not unusual for some to click through to see the promised morbid scene. Strange yes, but for teens, well, not unusual.

There is also a link that promises to show who is talking you, blocking you, or has dropped you as one of their friends. These tend to come through the message feature in FB.

WARNING: All three of these are laced with viruses that will infect your account, causing you to send out the same spammy posts to all your friends.

What's a friend to do? According to Technotica columnist/technology and science editor Helen A.S. Popkin who blogs at Technolog on MSNBC gives solid steps and a bit of a chastising on how to fix this.

Here's what to do:

Remove any content the rogue app may have posted on your Facebook wall.

Go to the Account Settings drop-down menu in the upper right side of your screen.

From the Account Settings drop-down menu, choose Privacy Settings.

On the bottom right side of the Privacy Settings Page, click the Apps & websites link "Edit your settings."

On the App page, next to "Apps you use," select edit settings.

There you will see the third-party apps that have access to your Facebook profile. Delete any rogue applications. (It's a good idea to check this setting regularly, anyway.)

Now, send an apology to all your Facebook friends who may have been tagged, and advise them to do the same.